Blissful Silence
by xMitsuko
Summary: It was an ordinary Valentine’s Day at the Sand Village, chocolates here and flowers there. But amidst all the reds, pinks, and whites one certain red head was nowhere to be found. Could she find him in time before he leaves the Sand Village for good?


**Blissful Silence**

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A/N: A short oneshot I wrote on a friend's whim, so it's **very** rushed (you'll notice the lack of an actual plot line), and **very** Mary-Sue. ;

Also if this idea has already been done, I apologize. I did not mean to copy an already done idea. Please kindly inform me and I'll take it down.

Gaara and any other Naruto related things are found from secondary sources since I myself do not follow the series. This said, Gaara is bound to be OOC to those of you who watch the show. And while on the point of Naruto it'd be wise of me to mention that I do not own Naurto in any way, shape, or form.

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She had a mission. One red box and one hopeful wish were her only weapons. Equipped with those she set of to find the target of her wistful quest: Gaara of the Sand Village. Hiyashi Ayame wasn't any ordinary girl. She had the skills of any top ranking ninja, but when it came to love she was nothing short of an amateur.

The day was rather breezy at the local Sand Village Ninja Academy. The halls were decorated in a million shades of reds, pinks, and whites. Roses petals, chocolate boxes, and hug&kisses could be seen from miles away. Though the red headed boy she was searching so desperately for was nowhere to be seen. The mission could not fail. It couldn't.

Ring.

Ring.

The class bell rang as our heroine took her seat. With a shifty eyes and a glance to each side of the classroom Ayame could not find one trace of the missing Gaara. His usual seat in the back was unoccupied. Unable to think of anything other than the mission at hand Ayame drifted off into her own world . . .

The empty schoolyard was chilly and an unexpected feeling of dread was cast across everything the eye could see. Gaara had requested that she meet him there, something that would only happen once in a blue moon. Uncomfortable chills were sent up her spine as she sat on the wooden swing that hung so loosely from the rough tree branch above. Something wasn't right and she knew right away it was a bad omen. Even the usually slow girl could figure that out in a heartbeat.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Time itself felt like it had been frozen into the endless abyss of nothingness. Then things sped up all too soon as one familiar red head found his way to her. The kanji meaning love was apparent on his forehead and his flaming red hair and fiery crimson colored eyes all but matched. There was a sharp intake of breath as she looked over to the figure only a few feet away from her. Things seemed so unreal, unreal but yet strangely pleasant.

"Gaara?" she questioned breaking the blissful silence. Her voice was as soft as the finest silks and smooth as the richest velvets. They were enough to move any person, but they never seemed to reach the cold and collected Gaara.

"I'm leaving," he said bluntly, "in two days." Not a feature on his face changed, and no emotion could be seen in his eyes.

With that it seemed as if her whole world went spiraling downwards. Things seemed to freeze then speed up, and her mind was a muddle of thoughts, concerns, and worries. Her mouth was partially open, but no words were to be spoken. After what seemed like an eternity later she finally found the will and courage to speak up, "Why?"

It was one syllable, one word, yet it meant so much. "Why?" Gaara repeated slowly. He didn't seem eager to dive into an outlandish explanation anytime soon. Fresh tears sprung from Ayame's eyes as she awaited an answer. He had seemed a bit unnerved as of late, and she was worried. She had never expected this, of all things, to happen.

"Why?" she repeated, "Why are you leaving?" It came out in chocked sobs and sniffles, nothing like the soothing voice she had spoken in earlier.

"There are things I need to find out. About myself. By myself," he stated bluntly again, turning his back towards her and began to walk away.

Her body froze as she found herself unable to move, unable to object, unable to stop the one person whom she cared for with all her heart for from leaving. Her mind cried out in anguish as her body refused to move and run after him . . .

"Ayame!" the teacher shouted bringing the girl back to reality.

"Whaa? Huh?" she said sounding dazed and confused.

"Class is over Ayame. Try to pay attention next time."

"Y-yes, sensei," she said and hurried out of the room.

Two days she thought. Two days. And today was the last. She was going to find him if it was the mission she would ever complete. Clutching the shiny red box she dashed out of the classroom and into the streets of the Sand Village. "Gaara where are you?" she sighed looking left and right.

The pained memories from earlier now escaped from her thoughts and hid themselves in the deepest, darkest corners of her mind. She was totally focused on the task at hand: finding Gaara and telling him what she had meant to say those few days ago.

She rounded another corner. It seemed to have been the millionth one already and she still couldn't find one trace of him. It was as if he had vanished into thin air, gone. The sun had begun to set as the sky was soon enveloped in a mass of orange and red hues. The sun itself seemed to be covered in a golen aurora as it sank back into the earth, out of sight.

Nightfall soon followed. The midnight blues, and deep shades of purple soon swallowed the once brilliant and warm sky. The silvery moon rose to take the place of the sun. Ayame stopped, out of breath from the constant running. Things didn't seem to go according to plan at all. The faintest lingering thought of a failed mission hung in the back of her mind as if it were taunting her to give up.

She shook her head free of the atrocious thought. No. She would find him, even if it were the last thing she would ever do. Her breath caught and will to continue followed back though her veins and she ran passed another row of buildings.

It was rather late by the time she bothered to stop for another quick rest. She was near the edge of town now, sure that he'd be ready to leave if he wasn't gone already. She ran passed another stray building, it was definitely the outskirts of town now before her unwavering eyes caught a glimpse of red that stuck out in the black night sky. It's him! She thought.

Caught up to him now she called out his name. "Gaara," she said waiting for him to turn around. Once he did she smiled, relieved that she had found him at last. The mission hadn't turned out to be a failure after all.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she said handing him the red box that somehow managed to escape any damage despite all the running and jumping that she had done that afternoon.

"Thank you," he said slowly as if he were unsure of what he should say. Ayame nodded. She had vowed not to turn silent again when the time came, though it seemed her body had reacted otherwise.

"Good-bye then," Gaara said turning around before walking off. If one listened closely they could have almost her a tint of sadness clinging to those three words. Sadness that only a heart like his could tell.

Ayame watched him walk off with only a mere good-bye. She wasn't going to let it happen, not again. She reached her hand out and clutched a handful of the black cloth that he wore. He slowly turned around and faced her. They stayed like that for a few moments. Or were they minutes? Hours? Months or years? She couldn't tell and she wasn't sure if she wanted to break that same blissful silence that had lead to so much heartbreak before.

No, she wouldn't let it end with a good-bye. "You'll come back Gaara," she said softly so that the words that were meant for only his ears would stay that way, just for him. "I'll be waiting for you." A small smile formed on his lips. "I'll come back. I promise."


End file.
